Description: Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) are seabirds known to use urban structures as nesting habitat. The old east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the eastern portion of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge have hosted the two largest colonies of this species in the region. However, now these colonies are declining, and structures they once used to nest on are either being dismantled or blocked off for maintenance activities. So it begs the question: where will the cormorants nest in the future? Will they move to new areas of the bridges, adopt the artificial platforms we designed for them on the new bay bridge, on leave the central bay altogether? Come learn what our research for the past three decades tell us about the population dynamics of this resilient species and learn about our efforts to study the Bay Area population of this adaptable, yet maligned, bird.

Mark Rauzon was with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, where he studied sea birds and endangered marine mammals in Hawai’i, Alaska, and California. He is also an expert in the effects of invasive animals and plants on tropical islands. His latest book Isles of Amnesia details his experiences. (Purchase on Amazon here. Don't forget to use AmazonSmile to support SCVAS!) Mr. Rauzon is also a research associate with Point Blue and a Geography professor at Laney College in Oakland.

Meredith Elliott is a Senior Scientist at Point Blue Conservation Science and has worked on a variety of seabird monitoring and diet projects, as well as researching zooplankton communities in Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries.